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(No Mo deL) G. W. BOMAN.

LEAD 0R GRAYON HOLDER.

Patented Dec. 4,, 1.888;

INVENTOR WITNESSES, Y Email/19 6606 N PETERS. Photo-Lithograph". Wuhinllun. n. c

UNITED STAT S PATENT FFICE.

CLAES WVM. BOMAN, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE EAGLE PENCIL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

LEAD OR CRAYON HOLDER.

SPECIFICATIOII forming part of Letters Patent No. 393,812, dated Bee-ember 4, 1888.

Application filed May 28, 1888- Serial No. 275,330. (No model) To alZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLA'ES M. BOMAN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lead or Crayon Holders, of which the following is a specification.

The holder in which my'invention is comprised is one in which the lead is loose and free to move within limits which will permit it to be projected from or withdrawn within the point or tip of the sheath or case. The lead and the sheath are combined with mechanism so organized and arranged that when the sheath is held point downward the lead will be automatically projected from the point the proper distance for writing or marking purposes and locked in that position, and when the sheath is afterward held point upward the leadwill be automatically released and allowed to drop or withdraw into the case; and the said mechanism and the lead are, as a whole, adjustable and movable lengthwise of the sheath, so that they may be gradually advanced by hand as the lead wears 2 5 away.

The particular lead looking or retaining and releasing mechanism devised by me can be made use of independent of the adjustable feature last above referred to, in which case it will be necessary to make the sheath or case of wood or some other material which can be cut with a knife, so that it may be cut away at the point like the wooden case of an ordinary lead-pencil to compensate for the 3 5 wear of the lead; but I prefer to make it adjustable as a whole, because in this way the sheath or case need not be cut away, and as a convenient means of adj ustmentl prefer to make use of a sleeve fitting upon and movable lengthwise of the sheath and connected to the lead or its retaining means through a longitudinal slot in the sheath.

The nature of my invention and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect will be readily understood by ref erence to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal axial section in the plane of the longitudinal slot in the sheath 0 of a holder embodying all the features of my invention; Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the lead controlling and retaining devices in the position which they assume when the sheath (represented in dotted lines) is held point downward. Fig. 3 is a like view of the same parts in the position which they assume when the pencil is held point upward. Fig. etis a view of the releasing-follower detached.

5 represents diagrammatically the positions successively assumed by the dog, follower, and carrier when the pencil is turned point uppermost. Fig. 6 is an enlarged crosssection of the pencil with the dog in looking position. v

The holder comprises the combination of a tubular sheath or case, a lead'carrier freely movable back and forth within a sheath, a stop for detern-iiuing the extent of movement of the carrier, and a detent which, when the sheath is held point downward and the carrier has dropped the distance permitted by the stop, automatically engages the carrier and retains it in that position against pressure on the point of the lead so long as the pencil may be in use, with the point held downward in the position usual for writing or marking purposes. With these devices I also prefer to combine a releasing-follower carried by but freely movable within certain limits independently of the carrier, said follower acting automatically when the pencil is turned point upward to insure the disengagement of the detent from the carrier, and thus to allow the latter to drop back far enough to withdraw the lead within the sheath. I prefer 8 5 to connect the carrier, stop, andautomatic detent to a sleeve movable upon and lengthwise of the sheath, so that all these partsinay as a whole be adjusted nearer to or farther from the point of the sheath, as occasion may demand.

The sheath is shown at A. It is longitudinally slotted at a from near its point to its rear end. It is tubular, having in its solid point a hole of a size to fit the lead which 5 protrudes through it, and having in its slotted portion a larger hole, which extends through to the rear end of the sheath to accommodate the lead-carrier.

B is the carrier, which can be conveniently made in tubular form of sheet metal, with a I socket at its front to receive the end of the lead .1. In the rear portion of the carrier is formed a longitudinal slot, 1), the length of which determines the extent of longitudinal movement of the carrier in the sheath, and at the rear of this slot there .is on one side or edge of it a notch or recess, c, which forms one member of the automatic det'ent, hereinhel'ore referred to. To the rear end of this notch leads the rearwardly-inclined or sloping rear end or edge, 11, ot' the slot 1), said edge (I forming a guiding-surface, which directs the other memhcr (hereinafter mentioned) of the detent into engagement with the notch or re cess c.

Fitted upon and movahle lengthwise of the sheath A is the sleeve t, which clasps the sheath so closely that it will hold tight thereto in any position to which it may he moved hy hand. Upon the inside of this sleeve is the dog f, which projects through the slotted sheath into the slot h of the lead-carrier, and in itself serves hoth as the stop to limit the movement of the carrier and as the other member of the detent for automatically locking or retaining the carrier in the position to which it drops when the pencil is held point downward.

The mode of operation of the parts thustar dcscrihed is as follows: \Yhen the pencil is point. uppermost, they assume the position shown in Fig. 3, with the carrier resting hy the front end of its slot I) on the dog or stop f and the point of the lead contained within the sheath. It now the pencil be reversed, bringing its point downward, as in Fig. 2, the freely-moving carrier will drop forward and downward until its incline or sloping rear end, (7, brings up against the dog f. lly reason of this guiding-incline d the carrier will he given a movement of partial rotation suiticient to turn it far enough to hring the dog f into engagement with the notch or recess 1:, as shown in the figure. \Vith the parts in this position the lead protrudes from the sheath and is held securely in that position so long as the point of the pencil is lower than the other end. \Vhen the pencil is again turned point uppermost, the carrier can he disengaged by shaking the pencil; hut as this is a somewhat awkward as well as at times uncertain operation I prefer to provide means which autoimitically operate to insure the disengagement of the two parts of the detent at this time. To this end I provide a releasingfollower, D, which is longitudinally movahle freely with relation to,the follower, hut turns or rotates with it. This follower may surround the carrier or it may he contained in the carrier. The latter arrangement is preferred and is the one shown in the. drawings. It tits within the carrier,having a pin or stud, g, which moves in the slot Z1 in said carrier, so as to prevent independent movement of rotation, while permitting it to freely move lengthwise independently of the carrier. It is slotted or cut away at 1', the width of this out-away portion at least equaling the comhined width of the slot: 1) and recess 0, and the side edge, 71, of this slot or recess has at the front an inward slant or incline, as seen at Ir. The follower also is weighted or made heavyto give it: sut'ticient momentum to serve the purpose for which it is designed. The manner in which itoperates is as follows: \Yhen the pencil is held point downward and the carrier is locked,the t'ollowcr has dropped forward to the extent permitted hy the slot 1) and pin l/, as seen in Fig. 2. As soon as the pencil is reversed or held point uppermost, as indicated in diagram 0/1 of Fig. 5, the follower hegins to drop hack, while the carrier is still held hy the detent, and in so moving its lateral and inwardly-projectiilg incline 7.: comes against the dog), as seen in diagram '12 of Fig. 5, and the momentum of the 01 lower is such that in this way the dog and carrier are forced out of engagement, and the carrier thus released t'alls hack to the position shown in diagram 0 of Fig. 5 and also in Fig. it. In considering the diagrams in Fig. 5 the drawing should he so held that the points of the leads .1: are uppermost.

It; is manifest that the stop, detcnt, carrier, follower, and sheath will operate together in the same way, so far as concerns the automatic locking and releasing of the carrier, whether the sleeve 0 he movahle or whether it he attached to or made part? and parcel of the sheath. 'hen the dog f is a tixtu re with the sheath, then, as hctorc. explained, it hecomes necessary to cut away the sheath as the lead wears down. lly attaching it to a movahle sleeve this is avoided, hccause the sleeve can he advanced as the lead wears away. Moreover,the movahle sleeve is of advantage, hecause it permits the devices to he removed and replaced from the rear end of the pcncil whenever occasion may require.

I do not claim, hroadly, a pencil in which the lead is automatically protruded and locked in that position whenever and so long as the pencil is held point downward, and is automatically released and retracted whenever the pencil is turned point upward.

llaving dcscrihed my improvement and the manner in which the same is or may he carried into effect, what i claim herein as new and of my own. invention is 1. The comhination ot' the slotted tuhular sheath, the freely-moving lead-carri er within said sheath, the stop for limiting the lengthwise movement of the carrier, the detent for automatically locking said carrier in its forward position, and the sliding sleeve mounted on the sheath and connected to and adapted to adjust the carrier and its stop and detent mechanism hodily and together lengthwise of the sheath, substantially as and for the purposes hcrcinhefore set forth.

2. The comhination of the tubular sheath, the dog carried by said sheath, and the freelymoving lead-carrier within said sheath formed with a slot, 11, the notch or recess 0, and the inclined guide-surface d, said dog serving both as a stop to limit the movement of the carrier and as a detent, in connection With the notch or recess 0, to automatically lock the carrier in its forward position, substantially as hereinbefoi'e set forth.

3. The combination of the sheath, the dog carried by said sheath, the freely-moving leadcarrier Within said sheath, formed with a slot, b, the notch or recess 0, and the inclined guide- 10 surface (Z, said dog serving both as a stop to limit the movement of the carrier and as a detent, in connect-ion with the notch or recess 0, to automatically lock the carrier in its forward position, and the releasing-follower D, as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of May, 1888.

()LAES WM. BOMAN.

Vitnesses: SAMUEL KRAUS, C. S. BRAISTED. 

